Standard Schnauzer Question

[StandardInCalifornia]

Hello, I am new to this board. My name is Brandon and my 11 year daughter and I are the proud and sometimes overwhelmed daughter of a 14 month old black standard female. We have had her since she was a puppy. She is one of the more beautiful dogs I have seen. Standards are very uncommon in the US. We have her on a raw food diet. My question has to do with energy level! She has always had a VERY high energy level. I have a contraption for my bicycle and she runs at least a couple of miles each day, often pulling on the bike. She is currently 14 months old and can overwhelm us. Will her energy level decrease significantly with age?

[Robin black mini]

hi Brandon.
Welcome on board....i hope you share your journey with us with this great breed...
Your dog is fourteen months old and I've put this diagram up for you to have a look at...it shows when growth plates close,in a similar size and weight breed( setter)...,
The thing to look at are the wrists..the lower joint cartilage will be the last to mature...some as late as eighteen months...
So,I'd probably wait another four months before you hit the bike tracks( repetive pounding on the joints) if you don't want to risk her joints and create serious issues further down the road in her development...it's simply too soon to be running with a bike,but will be a wonderful excercise if you are patient for a few more months..


In the meantime she is a perfect age to take to obedience classes,..you and your daughter can take her through basic obedience and even on to advanced..,it's a wonderful hobby,you will meet good people and the dog will go from strength to strength....brain work for the dog is very tiring...trust me she will come back from her classes and crash out.
Simply running the dog won't fully satisfy her in the same way as training work will...it's like muscling up a dog without fulfilling her ...for sure get her outdoors,off lead for an "on grass" run and combine this with recall,search and find excercises etc..but wait awhile for the biking.
She will mature and be the calm girl you want,but this is a high energy point in her development, so with such an intelligent worker you have to address her training ,especially at this stage and you will be setting her foundations for your ( and her) lifetime.

https://www.dailydogdiscoveries.com/pup ... th-plates/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[StandardInCalifornia]

Thank you for the reply. That is interesting information that had not been presented to me by my breeder or the vet. We have done some obedience work. It's interesting, although she is 'difficult' in terms of being willful (a previous German Shepherd I owned was so easy to biddable) she also responds VERY quickly to marker training. Her sits and down are very enthusiastic and it wasn't difficult to train her the command to run into her crate. However, we don't do enough of this. Living in a big city I have to make a conscious effort to get to a larger park but I should do that more. Again, thanks for the feedback.

[Writeress]

My girl turned 2 last november. She have calmed down a little but it's still a very high level energy dog. To drain her energy fully,we need 12km walk and 1h30 dog park time a day (divided by two - 3km to dog park, 45 min there and 3km back home two times a day). Only doing this she will get home and give up playing. As we live in a city with too many traffic issues, there's no way of getting a bike and having her running by it. We will be hit by a car, for sure.

[rmoore920]

Hi --

I also have a 14 month old female black standard schnauzer from a breeder in California. Here is her weekly schedule for reference:

• Every other day at the dog park for 2 hours, with constant rough play with other dogs (mostly dobermans), and running after a ball or disc
  Walk for 2 miles each morning
  Walk for 2 miles each evening
  1 hour of playing catch, tug, or agility toys each day around noon
  1 hour of obedience practice each day late afternoon
  1 hour obedience class each week
  1 hour agility class each week

No lack of energy after this, but she will lay down and relax when commanded. Sleeps all through the night except for her "guard dog" moments where she gives a few barks to alert us.

Her diet is a mix of raw meat/vegetables with grain free dry food.

I don't expect her to let up on this level of activity any time soon.

[mikegoodson1]

Wow!

I'm pleased I have mini-Schnauzers (as much as the standard and giant breeds are lovely) - I wouldn't have the time for all this exercise/training/play - I would have to give up work

[Oscar 12345]

Mike,

Was thinking that too. I would absolutely love a Giant Schnauzer - they are a fabulous looking dog .... but until I grow big enough to be able to effortlessly pick up an adult GS and put it anywhere I want it will have to be a mini.

[mikegoodson1]

I have to say I love the standard Schnauzer. I bumped into a black one in the Summer when walking Oscar and it was the most beautiful looking dog I think I have ever seen, apart from my pooches of course ;)

It was so regal looking and groomed beautifully, I cannot remember whether the owner told me it was German or Russian heritage but it was cracking.

I go on a regular Schnauzer walk and there is not one standard there, loads of minis and a couple of giants but no standard, maybe they are quite rare/difficult to find?

[Oscar 12345]

I have never seen a black standard, I bet they do look stunning.

[rmoore920]

I have never seen a black standard, I bet they do look stunning.

Here you go!

[rmoore920]

I have to say I love the standard Schnauzer. I bumped into a black one in the Summer when walking Oscar and it was the most beautiful looking dog I think I have ever seen, apart from my pooches of course ;)

It was so regal looking and groomed beautifully, I cannot remember whether the owner told me it was German or Russian heritage but it was cracking.

I go on a regular Schnauzer walk and there is not one standard there, loads of minis and a couple of giants but no standard, maybe they are quite rare/difficult to find?

I know of only one other standard schnauzer in my city, they are not very popular dogs to own, and I think for good reason -- they take a lot of work if you don't have a lot of room for them to be active in.

[mikegoodson1]

I have never seen a black standard, I bet they do look stunning.

Here you go!

What a beautiful dog

[Robin black mini]

Hi --

I also have a 14 month old female black standard schnauzer from a breeder in California. Here is her weekly schedule for reference:

• Every other day at the dog park for 2 hours, with constant rough play with other dogs (mostly dobermans), and running after a ball or disc
  Walk for 2 miles each morning
  Walk for 2 miles each evening
  1 hour of playing catch, tug, or agility toys each day around noon
  1 hour of obedience practice each day late afternoon
  1 hour obedience class each week
  1 hour agility class each week

No lack of energy after this, but she will lay down and relax when commanded. Sleeps all through the night except for her "guard dog" moments where she gives a few barks to alert us.

Her diet is a mix of raw meat/vegetables with grain free dry food.

I don't expect her to let up on this level of activity any time soon.

Your dog,your choice...but....
Your dog is 14 months so that is a lot of excercise given her age..did you look at the diagram above? Many large breed sites ( especially GSD) are including this info,now to revise their former advice as to when to lift the excercise limit on growing dogs..
I always say it's not what a dog CAN do but what it SHOULD do regarding the age ...these issues usually kick in when the dog is two to three,so worth the wait to err on the side of good joint health long term.
Eg re agility,she CAN jump two foot,but shouldn't do more than six inch poles...the landing is the shock factor and you should really leave the traditional agility course till two years...

[Oscar 12345]

Beautiful looking dog. They are an amazing trio of sizes. Looking identical except for size.

[Dinester]

Hi. I have an almost 6 year old female standard Schnauzer. We noticed a distinct calming in her once she reached the age of 3 but until then it was pretty relentless (as we expected) with the walks & need for stimulation. She responded really well to training type games with little (heathy) treat rewards & loved searching for little treats as well. Anything that made her have to think & kept her entertained. They’re definitely not dogs to walk & sleep! Even now she’ll go for a decent walk & still grab a toy sometimes the minute she’s back in the door...! They do seem to stay youthful & playful for a long time I think, which is great & all part of their lovely characters.